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Earthbound Angels pivots to virtual format, continues mission of serving children and families

Times Record - 11/2/2021

Nov. 2—Families welcoming a little one into the world buy a laundry list of items, from baby clothes to diapers.

Yet, for low-income households, diapers must be balanced with other essentials including utilities and rent.

"You can't buy [diapers] with WIC. You can't buy them with food stamps," said Shelly Pollock, founder and president of Earthbound Angels. "A baby with no diapers can't go to daycare, so mom can't go to work ... The other solution, sadly, is mom may leave baby in diaper longer than they should, baby gets diaper rash, they get sick, baby cries all the time, mom gets overstressed ... and God forbid, mom either walks out or shakes the baby."

A 2013 study from the Yale School of Medicine and New Haven Mental health Outreach for MotherS (MOMS) Partnership found "mothers who cannot afford diapers are also more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety."

Earthbound Angels, a nonprofit started by Pollock in 2015, helps families with diapers and other household needs because "we want healthy babies and we want healthy parents and stress-free parents," she said.

Yet, like many area nonprofits impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Earthbound Angels has faced a low turnout of volunteers and lower donations.

On Oct. 26, Pollock posted on Facebook, announcing Nov. 27 would be the last day for the nonprofit's physical location, at 7423 U.S. Highway 271 South in Fort Smith. Earthbound Angels will pivot to a virtual format.

"Contact us through Facebook with your needs and we will do what we can to assist. We are down but we are NOT out," she wrote.

"I've been paying $550 for almost six years, and I would get donations," Pollock told the Times Record. "I would hold them because I knew I needed $6,600 to get me through a year.

"When COVID came, and the donations stopped because people weren't working or they were worried about the future, luckily, I had that cushion. So now that cushion's getting really thin, we've made the decision."

In starting the nonprofit and continuing to support families, Pollock draws on her faith for support.

"If we were here this coming March, we'd have been here for six years," she said. "I mean God has just supported us. Just when I start to worry, a donation comes in, whether it's from a church or a private donation."

Pollock started the nonprofit after witnessing the struggles of employees when she was a manager at Sykes.

"I got to hear a lot of sad stories and issues," she said. "'I can't take my child to daycare because I don't have diapers ... so I have to stay home, or I have to have one of my kids stay home, and then I get in trouble from the school.'

"That's why, no matter what happens, we will make sure that we have diapers for our community."

Earthbound Angels will continue its mission to support 6,000 families a year.

After Nov. 27, Pollock will take families' requests through the organization's Facebook page or website and will "have to have a place that we can meet them."

Along with 20 diapers twice a month, families can receive children's clothes for all ages, pull-ups, baby bottles, swaddle blankets, crib sheets, baby toys, baby shampoo and other items.

The reason behind repackaging the diapers into amounts of 20 is "so they have an adequate supply for their child and their child only," Pollock said. "They can't trade the diapers for cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, return them to the store."

Earthbound Angels serves all families, with no requirements on location or income.

"That's one thing that we've stuck with the whole time because we want to be a no red tape environment because if you sign up for some social service, it could be weeks," Pollock said.

Transitioning to a virtual format will also allow Pollock to dedicate more time to work on grants and also volunteer with other organizations.

"We've seen a lot of places that are shy of people," she said. "... Obviously, we want to continue to work with babies and children where we can. I'm perfectly qualified to be a CASA worker, so I'm probably going to look into that."

During the transition period, the nonprofit will "go down from giving out everything you could think of when you get in a new home to focusing on baby stuff," Pollock said.

Essential donations will be moved to a storage building in Pollock's backyard, and other items will be given out.

"A lot of the stuff that we won't be able to take will be out front, so our clients or passerby will be able to go through that stuff and take it on Saturdays," she said. "... We're closed the 6th, but we'll be open through November. We'll be constantly putting out stuff because we're only going to pack up the essentials."

"Ultimately, we'd like a piece of property that we could put a fence around, and then I could put that building on and maybe another one, and then we'd just have minimal utilities."

For families in need of assistance, Earthbound Angels can be contacted on its Facebook page or website, earthboundangelsinc.vpweb.com.

Catherine Nolte is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. She can be reached at cnolte@swtimes.com. Southwest Times Record and Report for America are working to place a new generation of journalists in community news organizations across the country. Will you support this effort today?

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